Advent calendars are easy. 24 days till Christmas. Open one door–do one activity–eat one piece of chocolate per day. Easy peasy.
Lent is a little harder. 40 days? That’s a looong time to do something every single day (unless that thing is eating chocolate, I could probably do that). 40 days is over a month!
It’s also hard to decide when to start celebrating Easter–do you just do it the day of? Or go back a week before and start on Palm Sunday? Or just on Good Friday?
Well, if you’re doing Sense of the Resurrection, here’s a few sample schedules to help you spread out the 12 activities in an easy, non-overwhelming way.
Schedule 1
Week of Ash Wednesday: Do day 1’s activity about Mary’s perfume.
2nd week: day 2 & 3
3rd week: day 4 & 5
4th week: day 6 & 7
5th week: day 8 & 9
6th week: day 10 & 11
7th week: day 12 (plus add in any of your other fun Easter traditions like a Resurrection Garden or unEaster basket)
Schedule 2
24 days before Easter Sunday: day 1
The next day: do the flag activity that goes with day 1.
Continue this pattern until you finish up on the day before Easter.
Schedule 3
24 days before Easter Sunday: day 1
The next day: do the flag activity that goes with day 1.
Continue this pattern all the way until the 11th day which should end on the Thursday before Easter.
Celebrate Good Friday-Easter Sunday with your family’s traditions.
The day after Easter Sunday, have the picnic lunch from day 12 (chronologically, it comes after Easter, anyway!)
Schedule 4
12 days before Easter Sunday (or Good Friday) begin the flag activity for day 1. Continue doing a flag each day for 12 days. Perfect for preschoolers!
Schedule 5
Start on Ash Wednesday and somehow do your best to get these 12 simple activities done before Easter Sunday! Ha. I’m so helpful.
I’m aiming for the first schedule with two activities per week. But when I look at our calendar I’m already sure we’ll get off because we have Spring Break, Camp Primo and a business trip with my husband in the next 40 days!
What I do know is that making time for these 12 activities over the next 40 days will be worth the time and attention. Carving out time to focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection will put an anchor in your kids’ heart–an anchor that will keep them close to their Father and Savior.
So, however and whenever you celebrate Jesus this year, do it. Do it with all your heart! And if you haven’t downloaded your copy of A Sense of the Resurrection, get it now!
